Weight-loss independent effects of bariatric surgery: changing the anatomy changes physiology

Bariatric, or weight-loss surgeries, are an invasive and usually effective measure to treat morbid obesity and many of its associated comorbidities. Clinical studies and animal models have shown that the surgery leads to alleviation of these metabolic diseases directly through weight-loss, and also independent of weight-loss by mechanisms not fully understood. Mimicking the effects of surgery holds promise to treat metabolic diseases without surgery also for the majoritiy of patiets, who are not morbidly obese. I will discuss some of our results and molecular mechanisms linking bariatric surgeries to alleviation of fatty liver and diabetes, hormonal mediated weight-loss and neurobiological adaptaions.